Raising a child in a bilingual household causes speech delay.

Is it true that raising a child in a bilingual household causes speech delay?

Partly. Several sources indicate bilingual households do not raise the risk of language delay, including a review finding similar delay proportions among bilingual and monolingual children and a scoping review finding no detrimental effect for children with autism. One single-case study reports a slight delay in one bilingual child's acquisition of a Spanish copula, so the evidence covers the claim only in part and points mostly against it.

Verdict: CONTESTED PARTIAL · 1 source for, 4 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

The acquisition of ser , estar (and be ) by a Spanish–English bilingual child: The early stages. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.1017/s136672890800357x

Speech delay. (n.d.). en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_delay

Wang, M., Jegathesan, T., Young, E., Huber, J., & Minhas, R. (2018). Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Monolingual vs Bilingual Homes: A Scoping Review.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0000000000000574

Bilingualism in the Early Years: What the Science Says - PMC Lock. (n.d.). pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6168212/

Uk, K. H. & Marilyn, R. (2014). "Tengo Que Habla Español. Yo No Entiendo Ingles!": A Qualitative Case Study on a Bilingual Child with Autism Spectrum Conditions. eric.ed.gov. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1127780